FAITH NO MORE's MIKE BORDIN On 'Sol Invictus': 'We Had To Revisit Who We Were'

FAITH NO MORE drummer Mike Bordin explained in a new interview why the band decided to make its first new album since 1997, the upcoming "Sol Invictus", despite being adamant for years that it would never happen. Bordin told Australia's Music Feeds: "I completely shut the door. For the last few years, when people asked about a new album, I told them no. 'It'll never happen. Absolutely not. No way.' I was comfortable with saying that, too… and then it actually happened."

He continued: "Our guys have a pretty sensitive gag reflex, so to speak. They knew after a certain point that we were either going to do new stuff or stop entirely. We did maybe 75 shows on that reunion, and it became pretty clear that it felt comfortable to be playing again… and it was then we began to look at where to go from there."

Bordin added: "To do an album has never been by numbers for us — it's always a huge commitment and a massive process. It's not something we could have done at the start of the reunion — it wouldn't have been us. We had to revisit who we were in order to have an idea of where we were going. Now that we're all speaking the same language again, now we get to go somewhere new."

Bordin also spoke about FAITH NO MORE's songwriting approach, telling Music Feeds: "It's always a grouping of very diverse influences. It's been that way for every FAITH NO MORE record. We all have a thirst for music — everyone has values in lots of different kinds of music. That's when the band really comes into its element is when that all comes together. When everything is represented… that's FAITH NO MORE to me.

"Take a song like 'The Real Thing', for instance. It's really long, it's got a super-quiet part, it's got this cinematic feel to it in the intro, there's a lot of guitar… it goes a lot of places. To me, that's what our band does at its best. We need to go everywhere."

He continued: "We can't just plow the same field every single time. That's just not us. Our guys would get bored, and it would be dishonest.

"Everything is represented on this album. You've got our singer, Mike [Patton], with his range of talents and breadth of skills. Our bass player is particularly talented at creating these atmospheres and environments with his production and arrangements. Everyone's ideas are in this record. There's enough rock, there's enough crunch, there's enough melody, there's enough darkness. All the elements are there.

“It's not just one guy and one thing when it comes to FAITH NO MORE. It never has been. It's about the value that each of us puts on music."

FAITH NO MORE reunited for touring purposes in 2009, 12 years after the release of its final studio set until now, "Album Of The Year". The band announced last year that it was recording new material, with "Sol Invictus" set for release on May 19.

FAITH NO MORE keyboardist Roddy Bottum said about the new CD: "It really does go back to out roots, and [it's] really gothic — it's really sort of in the dark and there's a lot of somber tones on it."

Bottum also praised singer Mike Patton's lyrics, saying, "He has done a super, super, great job. I'm a huge fan of his lyrics. I love what he does lyrically. There are some really fun wordplay [things] that he does, and there is a lot of referencing of us as a core group."

A single called "Superhero" will be available on seven-inch vinyl on March 17, followed by a digital release on March 31.

FAITH NO MORE has also confirmed its first North American shows since 2010 with a spring outing kicking off April 15 in Vancouver.